Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are knownfor their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Beesare a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presentlyclassified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila. There are nearly 20,000known species of bees in seven to nine recognized families, though manyare undescribed and the actual number is probably higher. They are foundon every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet thatcontains insect-pollinated flowering plants.

Bees are adapted for feeding on nectar and pollen, the former primarily asan energy source and the latter primarily for protein and other nutrients.Most pollen is used as food for larvae.

The best-known bee species is the European honey bee, which, as its namesuggests, produces honey, as do a few other types of bee. Human managementof this species is known as beekeeping or apiculture.

An apiary (also known as a bee yard) is a place where beehives ofhoney bees are kept. Traditionally beekeepers (also known as apiarists)paid land rent in honey for the use of small parcels. Some farmers willprovide free apiary sites, because they need pollination, and farmerswho need many hives often pay for them to be moved to the crops whenthey bloom.

Beekeeping (or apiculture, from Latin apis, bee) is the maintenanceof honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper(or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect honey and other productsof the hive (including beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly),to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers.A location where bees are kept is called an apiary or "bee yard".

Castes

A colony of bees consists of three castes of bee:

a queen bee, which is normally the only breeding female in the colony;

a large number of female worker bees, typically 30,000–50,000 in number;

a number of male drones, ranging from thousands in a strong hive in springto very few during dearth or cold season.

A bumble bee (also written as bumblebee) is any member of the beegenus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species,existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere although they are commonin New Zealand and in the Australian state of Tasmania.

Bumble bees are social insects that are characterised by black and yellowbody hairs, often in bands. However, some species have orange or red ontheir bodies, or may be entirely black. Another obvious (but not unique)characteristic is the soft nature of the hair (long, branched setae), calledpile, that covers their entire body, making them appear and feel fuzzy. Theyare best distinguished from similarly large, fuzzy bees by the form of thefemale hind leg, which is modified to form a corbicula: a shiny concave surfacethat is bare, but surrounded by a fringe of hairs used to transport pollen (insimilar bees, the hind leg is completely hairy, and pollen grains are wedgedinto the hairs for transport).

Like their relatives the honey bees, bumble bees feed on nectar and gather pollenfeed their young.

Agricultural use

Bumble bees are increasingly cultured for agricultural use as pollinators becausethey can pollinate plant species that other pollinators cannot by using a techniqueknown as buzz pollination. For example, bumble bee colonies are often placed ingreenhouse tomato production, because the frequency of buzzing that a bumble beeexhibits effectively releases tomato pollen.

The agricultural use of bumble bees is limited to pollination. Because bumble beesdo not overwinter the entire colony, they are not obliged to stockpile honey, andare therefore not useful as honey producers.

Honey bees (or honeybees) are bees of the genus Apis, primarilydistinguished by the production and storage of honey and theconstruction of perennial, colonial nests from wax. Honey beesare the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genusApis. Currently, only seven species of honey bee are recognized,with a total of 44 subspecies,[1] though historically, from sixto 11 species have been recognised. Honey bees represent only asmall fraction of the roughly 20,000 known species of bees. Someother types of related bees produce and store honey, but onlymembers of the genus Apis are true honey bees. The study of honeybees is known as apiology.

Agriculture depends greatly on the honeybee for pollination. Honeybeesaccount for 80% of all insect pollination. Without such pollination,we would see a significant decrease in the yield of fruits and vegetables.

Pollen

Bees collect 66 lbs of pollen per year, per hive. Pollen is the male germcells produced by all flowering plants for fertilization and plant embryoformation. The Honeybee uses pollen as a food. Pollen is one of the richestand purest natural foods, consisting of up to 35% protein, 10% sugars,carbohydrates, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins A (carotenes), B1 (thiamin),B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinic acid), B5 (panothenic acid), C (ascorbic acid),H (biotin), and R (rutine).

Honey

Honey is used by the bees for food all year round. There are many types, colorsand flavors of honey, depending upon its nectar source. The bees make honey fromthe nectar they collect from flowering trees and plants. Honey is an easilydigestible, pure food. Honey is hydroscopic and has antibacterial qualities. Eatinglocal honey can fend off allergies.

Beeswax

Secreted from glands, beeswax is used by the honeybee to build honey comb. It isused by humans in drugs, cosmetics, artists' materials, furniture polish and candles.

Propolis

Collected by honeybees from trees, the sticky resin is mixed with wax to make a stickyglue. The bees use this to seal cracks and repair their hive. It is used by humans asa health aid, and as the basis for fine wood varnishes.

Royal Jelly

The powerful, milky substance that turns an ordinary bee into a Queen Bee. It is madeof digested pollen and honey or nectar mixed with a chemical secreted from a gland ina nursing bee's head. It commands premium prices rivaling imported caviar, and is usedby some as a dietary supplement and fertility stimulant. It is loaded with all of theB vitamins.

Bee Venom

The "ouch" part of the honeybee. Although sharp pain and some swelling and itching arenatural reactions to a honeybee sting, a small percentage of individuals are highlyallergic to bee venom. "Bee venom therapy" is widely practiced overseas and by some inthe USA to address health problems such as arthritis, neuralgia, high blood pressure,high cholesterol and even MS.

Mason bee is a common name for species of bees in the genus Osmia,of the family Megachilidae. They are named from their habit of makingcompartments of mud in their nests, which are made in hollow reeds orholes in wood made by wood-boring insects.

Species of the genus include the orchard mason bee, Osmia lignaria, theblueberry bee, O. ribifloris, and the hornfaced bee, O. cornifrons. Theformer two are native to the Americas and the latter to Japan,although O. lignaria and O. cornifrons have been moved from their nativeranges for commercial purposes. The red mason bee, Osmia rufa, is foundacross the European continent. There are over 300 species across theNorthern Hemisphere, and more than 130 species of mason bees in NorthAmerica; most occur in the temperate regions, and are active from springthrough late summer.

Osmia species are usually metallic green or blue, though many are blackish.Most have black ventral scopae which are difficult to notice unless ladenwith pollen. They have arolia between their claws, unlike Megachile orAnthidium species.

Leafcutting Bee, common name for bees that use pieces of leaves orflower petals to construct their nests. Leafcutting bees are foundthroughout the world. About 140 species occur in the United Statesand Canada. The term leafcutting bee also refers to a large numberof related species, not all of which build their nests with leafpieces. In the entire group, there are over 3000 species worldwideand more than 600 species in the United States and Canada.

Leafcutting bees are black bees with white or silvery hairs, and thetop of the abdomen may have fine bands of white hairs. The undersideof the female's abdomen has a dense brush of hairs that is used forcarrying pollen. Males are usually smaller and in many species theyhave hairier faces than females. The bees range in size from smallto moderately large, usually 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) long.

Inviting an array of bees into your own backyard is simple when youplant their favorite flowers.

By providing nectar and pollen as food and creating shelters in yourgarden space, you will create new habitat for bees, which is important,as their natural habitats become less and less abundant. Researchershave found that planting bee-friendly gardens in your community mayincrease the diversity of bees, even within the concrete-laden urbanareas in which many of us reside. That's great news for beespotters!

There are four essential elements for designing a bee garden:

1.Choose plants that are best suited for attracting bees inyour region

2.Limit the use of insecticides that are toxic to bees and otherbeneficial pollinators

3.Provide shelter in your garden from elements such as wind, rain,or cold

4.Create habitat for the nest of the pollinator to support the entirelife cycle of the pollinator from egg to larva to adult.